Imbolc Bread

There are few things better than making bread. The warmth of the kitchen, the feel of dough in your hands, the subtle alchemy of turning yeast and flour and bits into something delicious.

This is the Cookbook. My mother and I started it years ago, and when I moved to Portland, it came with me. It has illustrations (yes, those are rum balls amusing themselves amongst the powdered sugar). It contains many wonderful things, in no particular order...

...including this recipe for a Finnish coffee bread, know as Pulla. Mum used to make it at least once a Winter, and I thought it would be a perfect way to celebrate Imbolc. Speaking of how awesome Mum is, she also made my favorite apron:

This bread is lightly sweet and cardamom infused. It isn't hard to make. It takes a little patience, but it's totally worth it. Recipe after the jump...

Donabe + Neko Nabe

As I mentioned in my last post, I got pretty lucky this Christmas. This donabe is another wonderful gift from Mum. Donabe are the traditional clay pots used to make nabemono, the deliciously perfect Japanese soups usually called "hot pots" in the US.

I started making nabemono a year or so ago, when I discovered this wonderful sukiyaki recipe, and subsequently its source, Japanese Hot Pots by Tadashi Ono & Harris Salat.

I've been using my faithful little red dutch-oven casserole, and it does just fine, but I think it is too deep and narrow for proper nabe simmering, so I really wanted a donabe. The first thing to know about a donabe is that you ought to season it. They are not glazed on the bottom, and are slightly porous when you get them. Mine came with good directions, but I'm glad I did a little research online first. I found great instructions (and learned some interesting things) in this post on Thyme Bombe. These directions are especially good if you're dealing with a poky old apartment range like mine.

  Nabe are wonderful for winter dinners. They're light, but very filling, mostly healthy, and incredibly comforting. Best of all, once you have some basics in your cupboard, you can make them with just about anything you have on hand. I made this one with mostly nontraditional ingredients. I like to use enoki and oyster mushrooms, bok choy, and colorful Asian greens like shungiku, but decided to keep it simple after a busy week and lots of errands.

                                                                        Yum!
It is also worth noting that cats love to nap in donabe, prehaps because they are cat-sized. If you want to die of cute, Google "neko-nabe". See what I mean?

from Cook Tells A Story

Little Black Bento + Big Surprise

       This Christmas was amazing. One my favorite gifts is this adorable bento box from Mum.

There is something very relaxing and refreshing about sitting down to a neat, tasty, little meal.
                                               It brightens an otherwise dreary work day.

                                       For now, I'm using this skeletal calico as a furoshiki.
I'm plotting a new wrap as my first project on one of my other totally amazing Christmas gifts:

                                          Queen Batflaps is responsible for this one. 
I feel certain this machine will take me past the "damn damn damn" stage of my sewing trajectory. That button up there? It back-tacks. All. By. Itself. Those wee heiroglyphs? All sorts of different stitches. This year is going to be so much fun!

Zanahorias en Escabeche

It was 96° yesterday! We haven't had much summer this summer, and it was blissful to finally be too hot and sticky lazy to move.

Whiskey Sour + Lime + Sunset

In weather like this, I usually end up making tacos for dinner, especially Baja-style cod fried up crisp. Just as quick and cheap to make at home as to pick up, I like mine with a little green cabbage, salsa fresca, and a pickled carrot and jalapeno mix called zanahorias-en-escabeche.

Anyone who knows anything knows I'm kooky for pickles, and this is one of my very favorites.

Spicy, garlicky, slightly crunchy, and just a little sweet, it's wicked good on hot dogs, too.

This recipe takes no time at all, and makes about 3 cups.

3 carrots
2 medium jalapenos
1/2 red onion
4 cloves garlic
5 bay leaves
2 tsp peppercorns
1 tsp oregano
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 water
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
3-4 tbsp oil, for sauteing 

Peel carrots and slice carrots and jalapenos diagonally. Slice onion in thin rounds. Slice garlic in quarters or halves lengthwise.

In a small saucepan, heat water and vinegar to a simmer. Remove from heat. Add brown sugar, salt and lime juice. Set aside.

Heat oil a deep sided, heavy bottomed frying pan. Saute carrots, about 3 minutes; add onion, peppers, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, and oregano. Saute until garlic begins to brown.

Put pickles in a jar, cover with liquid. Cool, and keep refridgerated.